Baby squirrel sounds, behavior questions

[Tuff]

This information is invaluable to me, thank you so very much!! It was a squeak that was kind of loud, the first one we ever heard from him- as he bit down harder than normal on her finger tip. He seems to want to be out of his cage often now that he has been out to play before. We will make sure that we keep our hands extra clean and no additional scents on us when we are around him. You said that they usually choose one person, so I am thinking they form a close bond with their human?

He is going on 7 weeks, we ordered him the Teklad Global Rat Food Pellets 2018, I just want to make sure those are the correct ones and not a different Tekland I was supposed to order? I noticed since he has been on Clavamox, his poops don’t seem to be as much, and they are kind of long and harder, darker again and not like the formula poops. Could he be dehydrated? Or constipated? He was almost dead when we found him, we have worked around the clock to ensure his survival and I want him to thrive. I truly appreciate all of your help. I am so happy I found this board.

The tekland is what I also feed Tuff but I also give him Henry’s blocks. Henry’s give them 100% of his nutritional value. Henry’s is the first solid foods they should have. You can search for their website. They make food formulated for squirrels and you can also directly order formula from them. I will put the link in another message for you. At 7 weeks he should still be on formula, fox valley 20/50 or esbilac puppy powdered formula is the best. He could be dehydrated with the poops being like that. You can hydrate between feeding with pedialyte clear unflavored or just water. DO NOT mix pedialyte with the formula. You can add him a water bottle the kind that hangs on the side of the cage he should have that offered to him around 5 weeks. Yes they form a very close bond with humans but as I said they usually pick just one person and they can be dangerous to any other people that mess with that person. They also become protective of what is his. Some are food aggressive, some are cage protective. I got lucky with Tuff he doesn’t care what I do to his cage really, the older he gets the less he likes it though. Some stash foods, something Tuff doesn’t do either. I was very careful who was around Tuff and no one is allowed to touch him or do anything with him now he is almost full grown. They will become very protective of their person and can and will show aggression which is not what I think he did. Just making you aware of what may come to pass. They love to play at 7 weeks, everything is new to them. Take advantage of it they are a laugh a minute. Get him stuffed toys with no eyes or squeakers in them. I hung my old boot socks in his cage, just be careful that their claws don’t get hung in them. He climbs and hangs from them.
Enjoy your time with him, feed him and love him (best time is at sundown). They will love you back 10 fold!!!
Read a lot on here, read the sticky notes. Study this page it is amazing at the information that it holds!!!!

[Tuff]

https://henryspets.com/

[KCullen]

My Joe makes a very adorable sounding squeak when he has almonds, but that adorable squeak is a big ol "I'll bite!" He only seems to make the sound around his most beloved foods. He makes little soft chatter growls when he has climbed uphigh & wants us to notice, soft chatters to play, & super soft chatter growls to snuggle wrestle. Loud chatters are defensive. I can clean his cage out, but he has to be climbing me the whole time with annoyingly through supervision! His "pee shelf" (his #1 potty spot) requires more frequent cleaning & he doesn't care as much about that.

[DanniCristina]

Thank you! He seems to make a high pitched shriek/squeak around his food too or if he’s upset. He does this chattering sound when he wants food, it’s adorable. He seems to like to play in his cage, like having us chase him around it with our hands while we are holding one of his softer toys he gets so excited! Once he’s on the floor and playing that’s when he seems to be acting like a little teenager! Sometimes I feel loved and other times I feel bullied Haha

[DanniCristina]

The tekland is what I also feed Tuff but I also give him Henry’s blocks. Henry’s give them 100% of his nutritional value. Henry’s is the first solid foods they should have. You can search for their website. They make food formulated for squirrels and you can also directly order formula from them. I will put the link in another message for you. At 7 weeks he should still be on formula, fox valley 20/50 or esbilac puppy powdered formula is the best. He could be dehydrated with the poops being like that. You can hydrate between feeding with pedialyte clear unflavored or just water. DO NOT mix pedialyte with the formula. You can add him a water bottle the kind that hangs on the side of the cage he should have that offered to him around 5 weeks. Yes they form a very close bond with humans but as I said they usually pick just one person and they can be dangerous to any other people that mess with that person. They also become protective of what is his. Some are food aggressive, some are cage protective. I got lucky with Tuff he doesn’t care what I do to his cage really, the older he gets the less he likes it though. Some stash foods, something Tuff doesn’t do either. I was very careful who was around Tuff and no one is allowed to touch him or do anything with him now he is almost full grown. They will become very protective of their person and can and will show aggression which is not what I think he did. Just making you aware of what may come to pass. They love to play at 7 weeks, everything is new to them. Take advantage of it they are a laugh a minute. Get him stuffed toys with no eyes or squeakers in them. I hung my old boot socks in his cage, just be careful that their claws don’t get hung in them. He climbs and hangs from them.
Enjoy your time with him, feed him and love him (best time is at sundown). They will love you back 10 fold!!!
Read a lot on here, read the sticky notes. Study this page it is amazing at the information that it holds!!!!

Thank you for all of this!! Do some people on here end up keeping them as pets for good? If so, is it because they tried to release and it didn’t work? I am so attached to Murphy it’s going to be so hard to let him go but I know that’s what is best if we can.

[Tuff]

Thank you for all of this!! Do some people on here end up keeping them as pets for good? If so, is it because they tried to release and it didn’t work? I am so attached to Murphy it’s going to be so hard to let him go but I know that’s what is best if we can.

Well I think it’s more of some are kept because they have a medical issue that requires us to take care of them for the remainder of their life. Things from head trama, para, teeth, amputated limbs, blind, things like that. There are some that have no idea that they belong in the trees. They don’t want to go, they want the cushy life of A/C and heat. None of us hope for that our goal is to raise them and release them to be free. I’m struggling with mine at the moment because he spends most of his time pacing wanting back inside the house. Oh he will romp in the trees but the minute I am out of his site he comes and searches for me. He’s just not ready and he has been outside in his release room since March. It’s crazy the bond that he has with me, but that can change quickly.

[Rock Monkey]

Thank you for all of this!! Do some people on here end up keeping them as pets for good? If so, is it because they tried to release and it didn’t work? I am so attached to Murphy it’s going to be so hard to let him go but I know that’s what is best if we can.

The older they become, the stronger their desire to be outside becomes. They are wired to be fruitful and multiply. Males can become quite aggressive towards their human caretakers in some instances. (The dominant male gets first dibs on the females in heat.) They are very willful. If they don't get the positive attention they desire, they will settle for the negative attention that comes from chewing on things. They range wider and wider within the house looking for food and can make some poor choices. Squirrel proofing can become an ongoing chore. Eventually all sorts of things will have a chunk taken out. (Their teeth are growing constantly so they have a need to chew.) Just because they ignored a potential hazard last week, doesn't mean they will ignore it this week.

They are ultimately very high maintenance and 98% of them have no desire to be cooped up inside, in the long run. Some take longer than others to get to this point.

[DanniCristina]

I appreciate how helpful everyone has been to me here, especially with me being a new user! Another member confirmed my recent suspicions that our Murphy is actually a girl, not a boy! She seems healthy to me for the most part, she did just finish her Clavamox last night, and does not have constipation anymore either, so great news! I am really trying to find out what toys are appropriate for play besides the safe stuffed animal... any wooden toys for chewing? I would welcome any idea's. Also, I did ask on another thread, just waiting to hear back if a 1 inch bar spacing is okay for a cage, or must they be only half inch. I was offered a great cage to upgrade her in but it is 1 inch spacing.

[Rock Monkey]

Also, I did ask on another thread, just waiting to hear back if a 1 inch bar spacing is okay for a cage, or must they be only half inch. I was offered a great cage to upgrade her in but it is 1 inch spacing.

One inch is too large, it allows them to get their head in and chew on the bars which can cause serious tooth problems which might create a permanent disability.

They love to run and jump. Eventually they will begin practicing escape and evasion, doing some lightening fast parkour type moves. They like to play with their caretakers, much more so than amusing themselves. Some people put on light gloves or socks for some of the practice.

For chewing you can given oak branches and some other species as well, but just not random branches. Some like to chew on deer antlers. Give bits of plain cardboard to see if that hold any interest. You can also give materials with which a nest can be made.

[DanniCristina]

One inch is too large, it allows them to get their head in and chew on the bars which can cause serious tooth problems which might create a permanent disability.

They love to run and jump. Eventually they will begin practicing escape and evasion, doing some lightening fast parkour type moves. They like to play with their caretakers, much more so than amusing themselves. Some people put on light gloves or socks for some of the practice.

For chewing you can given oak branches and some other species as well, but just not random branches. Some like to chew on deer antlers. Give bits of plain cardboard to see if that hold any interest. You can also give materials with which a nest can be made.

Thank you for this!! I’ll order an antler off line! She does love to run circles around me then do this run/jump on me, then run down my back, up it again, to the top of my head then sit on my shoulders. She is 8 weeks, how long before we can take the heating pad out? I’ll also order a half inch bar cage instead! Thank you!

[Tuff]

Thank you for this!! I’ll order an antler off line! She does love to run circles around me then do this run/jump on me, then run down my back, up it again, to the top of my head then sit on my shoulders. She is 8 weeks, how long before we can take the heating pad out? I’ll also order a half inch bar cage instead! Thank you!

Gosh the heating pad is something I never quite got an answer on, and believe you me I googled and googled and searched and searched. But I do believe I read on here or another page, once they get fully furred than you can do away with the heating pad. Tuff still sleeps on fleece because it’s soft and if he gets cold he has his cube packed out with fleece and toilet paper lol.